“Coming Home”, is an experiential, somatic, personal growth workshop that runs daily from 10 am to 5 pm on June 24 to June 28, 2024 at the Cambrian Hall in Vancouver, BC.
The workshop will consist of:
- facilitated movement
- group processes
- somatic techniques for release, integration, regulation, and embodiment
- theory/teaching segment
- written exercises
- a breathwork session
- sharing, group or partnered exercises
- lunch/time for reflection/journalingIn this workshop you will look at the relationship between your body and your mind, and who you really are versus who you think you need to be.
You will learn about Transpersonal Psychology and Family Systems theory, use techniques founded in Gestalt theory and Parts Work, and practice somatic techniques rooted in conscious connected breathwork and conscious dance.
Through this wholistic lense you will be asked to look at how your family system impacted your development and how you might hold that conditioning in your body and mind.
This is an experiential, educational and therapeutic workshop. This means that you will be invited to participate in exercises designed to increase your level of self-understanding and awareness and help you reach a new perspective. Expect to ‘stretch’ mentally and emotionally.
This workhop will help you to:
- manage anxiety
- deepen your connection to self and others
- communicate more authentically
- get unstuck
- manage your boundaries
- get out of your head
- be more present
- reconnect with your body-based awareness
- access your inner resources, like your: truth, senses, feeligns, intuition, values, and limits
- reclaim cut-off parts of self
- expand emotionally, psychologically and physically into a fuller, truer, way of being
Jelena Marda RPC is a Registered Professional Counsellor (2006) and the founder of Dance Divine (2009). She also a Breathwork facilitator, Psychometrist and Conscios Dance DJ. For more information on Jelena Marda RPC
Mission Statement; the “Why”
Have you ever been asked to adapt to a dysfunctional system? You know, a way of being or doing things that goes against your better judgment, your intuition and inner sense of justice?
Maybe that request came from your family, culture, government, religion, relationship or job. If so, what choices did/do you have when such big systems and authoritative figures like teachers, priests, doctors, politicians, parents, etc., require you to bend (or break) to meet their reality? Did you survive, adapt, and then get used to living in a dysfunctional system?
Is it your normal now?
How does that feel?
What has that done to your inner knowing; the part of you that knew all along that something was wrong. The part of you that “doesn’t buy it”, and never did. Do you silence it with rationalization and reason? Do you justify the discrepancy between your values and your choices, between your heart and your head, between your personal truth and someone else’s? How do you manage that inner conflict and its’ accompanying feelings, such as: anxiety, resentment, sadness, guilt, shame, powerlessness, and doubt?
This inner conflict causes anxiety and emotional pain, and to some degree, it is the cost of normalizing the abnormal. Yet, what if becoming symptomatic in a dysfunctional system is a sign of health, not illness?
What if your own system (your intuition, your feelings, your values) is alerting you to the fact that you have been trained away from your senses, inner knowing, and personal truth, and the pain of being out of alignment (not living a life based on your personal values) and being out of integrity (not speaking your personal truth) is no longer an option for you? Can you see it as a call to greater awareness, greater alignment, greater truth, so that you can serve a greater purpose? Or just feel better?
This workshop is about helping you reconnect with your Authentic Self. It’s a body-based and transpersonal approach to ‘recalibrating your inner compass’ so that you can re-align with your core self and reconnect with your values, feelings, senses, intuition, limits, and boundaries.
Testimonials for this work.
“I have to confess that of all the counselling sessions, self-help methods and or reading I have done, your program/workshop was the one that touched me the most. “
Kuldip – Vancouver, BC.
“I highly recommend this workshop. It is a gift to Self. I expanded my conscious movement practice, received a safe, gentle and nurturing container of support in which to unpack and heal old wounds and I uncovered a deep well of safety within my authentic being that is now enriching every area of my life. Jelena is a master of her craft. A wise, patient, intuitive, inclusive and caring counsellor and teacher, she models the essence of her teachings- strength in vulnerability and power in authenticity. A fun combination of practical theory and hands-on learning, you’ll dance, laugh, cry, connect with others and feel more empowered then when you arrived.”
Mandara Lebovitz – Vancouver, Canada
“Most of my life, I suffered from social and performance anxiety which affected many aspects of my life. Jelena’s 5-day workshop shifted something for me. It helped me step out of hiding behind my fear of being seen and getting it wrong into a bigger version of myself, less afraid and willing to take risks. As my tendency to anxiously anticipate loosened its grip over me during the course of the workshop, I was able to stay in the present moment and share authentically with the group rather than plan in my head what to say. I allowed my disowned emotions like sadness and grief to flow and let myself be witnessed in the ‘messy’ act of crying which was a huge breakthrough for me. Jelena facilitated a beautiful healing experience for me during one of the practices. She worked her magic on me when I least expected it. I felt deeply held and nurtured by her gentle presence. Thank you, Jelena! My heart is full of gratitude for you, other workshop participants, and this deeply transformative shared experience.”
Anna – Vancouver, BC.
“Participating in Jelena’s workshop of embodies dancing including breath work allowed my body to communicate to me with out my ‘classic” critical self-defeating mindset. Though movement and intentional picked music I accessed tension and could release it for good. After the course I feel internally more at peace, more joyful ,and significant reduced negative self talk . SUCH a relief and now I am continuing this positive state my daily life. Jelena brings a wealth of expertise to you in a simple way that makes it accessible. If you ponder if you … Just go!”
Vanessa Wiebel , Internal and External Executive Leadership Team Coach for BC Health Authority, Vancouver, BC.
“I truly appreciate and have deep gratitude for the care and dedication that went into the program. I took the workshop because I am inspired by the authenticity that Jelena exudes in what she offers as a facilitator and counsellor. She holds space in such a gentle but clearly strong way and felt that I was willing to be vulnerable in the container she created. What I found was a map, a multitude of avenues that led to the authentic self through the mind, the body and raw emotion. The more vulnerable I felt the more appreciation I felt for myself and from the group. I look forward to using the tools offered here to navigate what seems like the muddy waters of who we seem to be, to a clearer and deeper ocean of who we actually are and can be.”
EdR
“ This workshop , like any of Jelena’s work, felt safe, allowing me to enter into the depth of work when tending to the soul and psyche. Her care in curating the content and experiential exercises we went through, made the workshop sustainably transformational. This transformation was palpable as we navigated each day, guided through her gentleness in holding space, offering clear reflection, and checking the pulse of the group as we moved together.”
Estephania Solis, Vancouver, BC.
“I recently attended Jelena’s personal growth workshop that exceeded my expectations. Her insightful sessions and engaging activities with somatics and inspirational music, provided valuable tools for self discovery. Jelena created a supportive environment, fostering meaningful connections among participants. I highly recommend this workshop for anyone seeking personal development and transformative experiences”
Kathleen – Vancouver, BC.